Boundaries that support growth are not the ones that hold us back, but the ones that guide us forward. “If everything is done for a child, they don’t move forward. But if everything is too difficult, they won’t even try. Real growth happens between these two extremes. It is not perfect, but it is alive,” says psychologist Aušra Kurienė. This applies to everyone, no matter their age.

This conversation is not about strict parenting rules, but about seeing parenthood as a shared path of growth. It is about boundaries that do not punish, but support. About parents who are not afraid of their children’s wishes, but also do not rush to satisfy them immediately. About a child who learns to say not only “I want,” but also “I am cold,” as they begin to understand themselves.

And this is not only about children. When you learn from an early age that meeting your needs depends not on support from others, but on your own effort, you start to see life’s challenges — and help from others — differently. As an adult, you don’t just wait, you act. This kind of foundation builds not only economic strength, but also inner strength — the ability to live actively, take responsibility, and not be afraid to make mistakes.

This episode explores the inner “maps” we each create — for ourselves, for a child, and for life — in the podcast “Beyond Economics and Back” with psychologist Aušra Kurienė and the president of the Lithuanian Free Market Institute (LFMI), Elena Leontjeva.